Vacation Spot Suggestions?

The hugh price of gas and the 11 hour travel time ( we lose almost 2 days) is making us re-think our favorite summer vacation trip to Sandestin. I'm looking for suggestions of other places we should look into and hoping that some of you may have suggestions.

Here's what we love about Sandestin and are hoping to find in another location within closer driving distance:

Our own condo/Townhouse with full kitchen and 2+ bedrooms

Easy access to a pool, preferably with a baby pool too for our 4 year old.

Low-key environment (not looking for honky-tonk boardwalk), but, and this is very important :things of interest for our 14 year old and friend to do- potentially by themselves. At Sandestin she can ride a bike to another pool/beach/ice cream shop by herself with everyone feeling comfortable.

Abiilty to walk to things a major plus

Love the beach, but not manadatory- we tend to go to the pool and only to the beach once or twice during the week.

I know about other Florida resorts and Sea Pines at Hilton Head which all seem a good match, but isn't there something closer to home? I keep thinking there's got to be a resort on a lake somewhere (Georgia? Lake Michigan? North Carolina? ) that would give us most of what we are looking for...

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
Deb

Try the Outer Banks in North Carolina. We used to go when I was a kid, and we'd rent our own house on the beach, or a condo. Lots of cute little boutiques, great local restaurants, gorgeous beaches that weren't at all crowded. Keep in mind, this was a few years ago, so it may have become a lot more commercialized. I have many very fond childhood memories of picking up seashells on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and renting a boat with my brother and my dad to catch some fresh blue crab. Yummy! Plus, you can actually stretch out on the beach and have some room to yourself. After going there one summer, we stopped going to Florida for vacation. I was about 13-14 at the time, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. Looking forward to visiting with the hubby one day, so he can actually enjoy the ocean without the throngs of people that usually accompany it.


http://www.outerbanks.org/index.asp

I usually go north for summer vacations. Florida is just too darned hot then. I am not sure that these places will save you any gas, but I like Door County, Wisconsin and the Finger Lakes in western New York state. Both meet all of your criteria.

I'm afraid you won't be able to make it to any ocean/gulf beach in any shorter time than Sandestin. It's about the same distance to any of the Atlantic beaches. You're probably going to have to look at lakes & rivers to shorten the drive.
What about any of these........

-Lake Cumberland (Kentucky)
-Land Between the Lakes (Kentucky)
-Rent a place in/around Chicago with access to Lake Michigan

I like to poke around on VRBO.com for vacation rentals: http://www.vrbo.com

http://www.lakecumberlandlive.com/lcl/r ... esorts.htm

I don't know if it saves much gas, but the Charleston, SC area is very nice. From what you described I think Folly Beach would be up your alley. I moved here after living there for 7 years so I am happy to help with activity and restaurant suggestions.

Lake of the Ozarks in south-central MIssouri is very nice. It's about 2 hours southwest of STL, so probably a 4-6 hour drive from Louisville. There are very grand vacation homes (see mansions), but also lots of (affordable) home/townhouse rentals and hotels. The Lodge of Four Seasons there is nice, with great golf. There are some pretty amazing restaurants in the area too (I've only been once, so I can't recall the names off hand, but they should be easy to find). There is a half mile stretch or so of Gatlin-burgy tourist traps, but they're easily avoided. The lake is amazing, with lots of watersports, boat rentals, etc. There are also a ton of good hiking trails.

The area is a much-overlooked gem in the Midwest. As far as I can tell, it's a popular vacation spot for the well-heeled from STL, Kansas City, and Chicago, but worth the trip.

Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley are also options along those same lines and a lot closer to home. Land Between the Lakes is great area of exploring nature and hiking also.